EVENT // THE DOERNBECHER DASH - ICSCC @ PIR

The penultimate round of the 2009 ICSCC road-racing season took place at the famed 1.9 mile Portland International Raceway.  As in many years past, the race weekend is held to raise money for the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.  In addition to a full schedule of racing, many of the drivers donate not only money but time out of a their day to give charity rides around the track to many of the children.  There is also a silent auction that raises money for the hospital.  This year the drivers of PRO3 and Highlander Motorsports donated more than $3200 to the event.

Over the past few years ICSCC has seen an increase of BMW racecars. The group that makes up the largest contingent of drivers in Conference is PRO3. With 40 built and ready to race cars in the Puget Sound and Portland areas alone. To say that the racing is close is an understatement. This class allows drivers to compete on equal terms with each other in similarly prepared cars. There is usually a number of well prepared E36 and E46 racecars that come out to race as well... [read more]

Caelin Gabriel car #60 and Mike Olsen car #130 leading the pack of PRO3 cars not only down the back straight at Portland but in points as well.  For most of the season these two have been going at it fender to fender, door to door.  In Portland, Gabriel was able to capture the pole and pull off an amazing win.  The race for the PRO3 championship is very close between Gabriel and Olsen, just five points separating the two drivers with only one race to go. 

Before heading off to Miller Motorsports Park to cover the Mustang Challenge and Grand-Am races,  Coldtrackdays photographer Curtis Creager also took part in this event in the #317 BMW E30.  Curtis is also planning on running in this years 12 Hours of The Cascades in a PRO3 in the P2 class. 

Curtis Creager was running in EIP in a rented PRO3 car owned by Steve Schaeffer.  While he didn’t qualify high in the 52 car field he would have a great drive until the Toyo R888’s got a little grease and he would end up putting four wheels off in turn 6 putting him in that back of the EIP.

Wouter Bouman came down from Nanaimo, BC. With his sliver 3rd generation RX-7. With its turbocharged 20b 3-rotor engine , it was by far the best sounding car of the weekend. He turned some fast lap times and would qualify in P3 with a 1:20.479, but would ultimately DNF. 

Bruce Beachman and his Corvette came out to have a little fun in SPO. The car was raced in Grand-Am for a few years and this was the first time Bruce had driven the car in a while.  The car looked and sounded awesome  but mechanical gremlins would prevent him from finishing the weekend. 

Randy Blaylock and his Highlander Motorsports sponsored Pontiac GTO and ICSCC’s 2009 fearless license director was on hand to not only show the new racers in conference a thing or two, but he gave Tim Burton and his monster Orange 600+hp vette a run for his money and would finish in P2 for the weekend.

Stay tuned for coverage from the last ICSCC race of the year, this weekend at Pacific Raceways.

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Photo: Camden Thrasher
Editorial: Camden Thrasher & Curtis Creager